


Director Maliky

by denise (denise3), denise3



Series: TBG: The Enterprise and the Doctor [6]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Star Trek, Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Alternate Doctor (Doctor Who), Doctor Who AU, Gen, Interlude, Starfleet, Starfleet Intelligence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-26
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2020-07-20 07:31:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19988428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/denise3/pseuds/denise, https://archiveofourown.org/users/denise3/pseuds/denise3
Summary: The Doctor goes to Starfleet Intelligence's Director to get an official ID.





	Director Maliky

**Author's Note:**

> First interlude before Pursuit, partly motivated by Mary_Books comment on Investigation. Since you asked about what SI's Director knows, we'll see something first from the previous Director's perspective.

_Starfleet Intelligence Headquarters, September 2262._

"Good morning, Director," said Phil to the orange-skinned humanoid that had just entered the room. "Your 9 o'clock meeting was rescheduled for the afternoon, but the Assistant Directors will be here soon for the briefing."

"Thanks, Phil," she replied. "You know, I'll miss... that light, when did it start blinking?"

"What light? Oh," he said, finally noticing the small blue light blinking in the panel to the left of the Diretor's office door. "I don't know, I've never seen it blink before. What is it?"

"It doesn't matter." Zybleny Maliky, Director of Starfleet Intelligence, straightened up, facing the door to her office with a serious expression. "When the Assistant Directors arrive, please tell them to wait for my call. I'll probably be busy for a while."

Phil wasn't new to the job, and interpreted correctly the subtle concern in his boss's posture. "Should I call security?" The office should have been shielded against transporter beams, but there were ways around it, and contingency protocols, and he, as well as all the staff at Headquarters, had been very well trained.

"No, it's sort of expected. Though his timing could've been better. It's all right, Phil, I'll be all right."

"If you say so, Director." But he'd already taken his phaser out of the desk's drawer, placing it close by his hand.

"Relax, Phil, he's an ally."

"Who's he?"

"Beyond top secret. You haven't heard a word from me, okay?" She winked at him, and Phil relaxed slightly, but he still watched carefully as the Director crossed the room and closed the door behind her.

* * *

Director Maliky entered her spacious office, and there it was, an incongruous blue box, parked next to the wall behind and to the right of her desk. A man she didn't recognize was standing next to the shelves to her left, apparently examining with great interest some of the mementos she'd collected on her travels. Humanoid, tall, wearing a long brown overcoat, a bit anachronistic. And with running shoes. Of course, always running.

"You've changed again. That's not fair, you look younger than Phil now."

"Zyb!" The Doctor, because that man could be no one else than the being known only as 'the Doctor', turned, opening his arms in a welcoming gesture, and exclaimed, "I missed you!"

"No, I missed you," she said, stepping closer and accepting his hug. She was shorter and stockier than the average human, and she didn't even reach his shoulders. She rested her head against his chest, hearing his comforting double hearts-beat, and hugged him back. She was careful to avoid crushing him, though she knew he wasn't as fragile as he appeared. "You could have just dropped by, any time you wanted."

"It doesn't work like that."

"Don't I know that?" She said, briefly hugging him tighter. After a moment, they let go. "It's been years since I've last seen you."

"You shouldn't've said that. Now I won't be able to come yesteryear." He gestured toward her desk. "Anyway, it's been a lot longer for me."

"So you're here for business, I presume," she said, walking to sit in her chair. "Where is the disaster this time? Not Andor again."

"Zyb." He shook his head. "I can't tell you."

"A future event, then. Figures." She crossed her arms. "You wouldn't have chosen my last months at work otherwise."

"Last months? Nooo!" He stood before her, throwing his arms up. "You're good for decades yet!"

"You know, Doctor, the Federation's got from Humans the notion that change, renovation, is necessary. It's enshrined in law. It doesn't matter. I'll have a nice farm in Illinois to take care of." She couldn't go back to Treb; her homeworld, and she herself, had changed so much that Earth was her home now, and she wouldn't survive it anyway.

"They could have let you continue working for Starfleet in some advisory capacity," he said with a somber face. Of course he'd know.

"I'm Director. There's no other position where I wouldn't 'exert undue influence' on the policies of my successor."

"I'm sorry," he said, hanging his head. Before she could retort that he had nothing to do with it, he suddenly jumped and with a huge smile, said, "But you're brilliant! You could come back, travel with me again! At least for a while. Don't say that you wouldn't like it because I'll know it's a lie!"

She shook her head. "You know me. But don't forget that I know you as well. If you're up to something in the Federation's future, it's best that I'm not around with you when I can be recognized." He stepped forward, ready to argue, but she added before he could say anything, "And don't tell me we can go elsewhere, you've said so before, once involved you can't simply take time off."

He pushed his hands into his pockets, sheepish. "I've forgotten how sharp you are."

"You can always come back for me once this thing is resolved."

"Yes I can." But his face said otherwise. She sobered.

"Very well, how can I help you today?"

"You've once offered me an official SI identity."

"What happened to 'I'd rather stay away from Starfleet'?" She said, in a poor imitation of his voice.

The Doctor grimaced. "This time it's a lot bigger, and they are involved as well. It's better to join forces rather than having to work around them."

"Don't tell me it's the _Enterprise_ again," she wondered, but he just raised an eyebrow. The universe did seem to have a sense of humor, after all. "How far into the future is that? Because, you know, you do look younger than most of my agents."

"Not far, it'll be fine, trust me," he said, so she began punching the code to recover the ID request she'd left ready for him.

"So, they won't stop asking questions, right? You should work with my successor, Geonas Salis."

He didn't reply, just looked at her.

"Of course," she glanced at him before going back to scan the request. "You don't know him, therefore you don't trust him. But you should, he's a good man."

"Not as good as you."

"I've been with Starfleet Intelligence for nearly eighty years." She raised her head to look at him. "More than a quarter of that in this room. It's a long time, even for my kind." As a Trebir, she had twice the average life expectancy of a human. "But I first met you as a junior officer in Starfleet, and my career almost ended then. During all this time, we've met again many times, and you'll possibly meet me again, in my past, if I'm not mistaken. I'm not sure why you've chosen to trust me, but I'm not that different."

"But you are. You've traveled with me."

"For a brief stint, yes. It changes people. It changed me. But Doctor, I've told you already and I'll repeat it again. You're very important to the Federation. We owe you so much. But it doesn't help when you're so reticent to trust the people that can work with you. In Federation history, I'm the only high official who has ever met you more than once."

"Well, there's Archer."

"How many times have you met him while he was President?" His face answered her for him.

"I've trusted other people before" he said, starting to pace. "Some of them hadn't even traveled with me."

"Before the Federation was founded, right?"

"Yes," he admitted grudgingly.

"It's obvious to me that you're not comfortable around authority figures. Especially not from the Federation. I don't know what happened, or what you fear will happen, but we're not monsters."

"I know that," he protested. "I'm not blaming you."

"You don't know yet what's going to happen, isn't that it? It's in both our futures, but you've seen, or heard, something of the consequences."

"Something like that," he admitted. "But it doesn't matter right now-"

"It does. I know a bit about the future too."

"You do?" He stopped pacing and straightened, eyes wide, looking at her. "But-"

"You're not the only one who can travel through time," she said placidly, leaning back on her chair.

He frowned. "The Federation isn't supposed to use time-travel technology, not now, not for centuries yet."

"Not us. But we knew you'd come. Computer, tell him."

A mechanical voice was heard, coming from the desk speakers. "The Doctor is supposed to pay a last visit to Director Maliky before she retires, for a matter of galactic importance. Then the Director must tell him what he doesn't know yet."

"What I don't know? Wait! What kind of computer are you?" He took his pen-like multitool from his vest pocket and began to scan his surroundings. "The Federation shouldn't have this kind of technology."

"There were once many stories about the Director's computer," she said. "Some said it was the life work of an anonymous technical genius, who developed it based on an alien template. Others said it was found inside an ancient vault in Telos. Some whispered it's an alien intelligence, trying to manipulate the Federation from within."

"These stories may contain a grain of truth," the Doctor said, standing at her side, finally focusing on one of the wall panels behind her desk, "but it's none of those things. Zyb, it's of extragalactic origin. A sentient, self-aware artificial intelligence, individually programmed and configured. It's planet of origin is so far away there's no way of even comparing time-coordinates with Earth. It cannot be here."

"And yet it is."

"Who gave it to you?" He loomed over her, with his serious, almost threatening face. She ignored it.

"It's not up to me to tell you. Not many know about it, and very few know of its more advanced capabilities. But it only obeys fully the Director. That's me. Up until November, that is. It's the second best kept secret of the Federation."

The Doctor couldn't resist. "And what's the first?"

"You are."

"Me?"

"Rodrigo, tell him."

"Rodrigo?" The Doctor asked.

"The Director won't call me anything else," said the computerized voice. "One of my first human contacts called me Rodrigo, so I've come to accept this as my name."

"Then, Rodrigo, what do you have to tell me?" The Doctor was serious, and Zyb felt a shiver. She knew how quickly he could switch moods, and how dangerous he could be. Still, she trusted him, and Rodrigo as well.

"I was on an exploration mission. We fell through a rift. My ship crashed on Earth, centuries ago," the computer said, in its monotone voice. "I was stranded. Humans found me, but there was little they could do. Eventually, though, someone came, and helped fix my circuits."

"Who came?" the Doctor asked, stalking around her desk.

"That I can't tell you," was Rodrigo's answer. "But I believe they are, or will be, your friend."

"There are too many time travelers in this galaxy, Rodrigo. Most of whom can be very dangerous. You should not trust what they claim to be."

"I understand that, Doctor. Uptime travelers often contact Starfleet Intelligence, interested in collecting information missing from their records or intent on ordering us about, but only that first one knew about me, knew that I could safely handle information about the future."

"What did that someone tell you?" The Doctor demanded, voice hard.

"Just some information about upcoming events. They were careful. Not many details, just enough that I knew how to help, until it's time to go back home. Most of the time my own knowledge was enough, but there were a few incidents when that information was crucial."

"Then you've done enough already," the Doctor said, softly now, almost pleading. "I can take you home. You shouldn't be here, in this galaxy. It's dangerous to you, and it's dangerous to them. If you're found by the wrong ones, knowledge that shouldn't exist in this galaxy would be revealed."

"Yes you can take me home, Doctor, and when you do, I'll give you the full records they left with me. But not yet. There are still things I must do before I leave."

The Doctor's face clouded. "Every moment you are here, you're putting the whole galaxy in terrible danger. If you care for them, you should let me take you home, now."

"It's not time yet," the computer voice insisted.

"Please let me explain," Zyb interrupted, sensing the imminent clash between her two friends. "Rodrigo, the Doctor must know. Doctor, please, listen to us, to Rodrigo."

"The Doctor won't understand, until it's time," Rodrigo replied, almost petulantly.

"Maybe it's time, and maybe not," she argued. "Just tell him already. If there's anyone else who can safely deal with future information, besides you, it's him."

After a brief moment of silence, the computerized voice resumed talking, "A time traveler will have revealed to me, nearly three centuries ago, a timeline of future events I was to take care of," it restated. "In return for fixing me up. They said that humanity should be protected until the Federation was formed. They told me about you, and that there was only so much you could do. I have been helping, UNIT first, then others. Humanity is the key to the future of this galaxy. This card," and a purple card was ejected from one of the slots on the desk, "contains the full information provided by your friend, as well as reports on the corresponding events. I've also added briefs on all time traveler visitors we've learned about, plus information regarding current events. It's cross-indexed, with keywords, so you may access only what you want. Be careful, Doctor, there may be information about your personal future as well."

"Thanks, let me worry about it," the Doctor said, pocketing the card. "The Federation is formed already, and I can handle the rest. You can leave," he added with finality.

"Not yet, Doctor," Zyb interrupted again. "Among the dozens of civilizations that make up the current Federation, humanity is its heart. It was a human captain who helped my people overcome the divisions that threatened to destroy us. Humans form communities, wherever they go, that's their specialty."

"There's a threat in the immediate future," Rodrigo added when Zyb paused. "It's already gathering up. I have been tracking the signs. It's all very subtle, and we still know very little about it, but your friend left a warning. Whoever they are, they will attempt to weaken humanity, maybe so they could use the Federation for their own ends. I can't be here when they finally manifest themselves, but there are things I must do until then. You will need my help, Doctor."

Zyb could see the Doctor wasn't happy, but his somber face told her he already knew something about this threat. "I know Geonas Salis," she tried again, "I trust him, and I've been trying to prepare him. It would help so much if you let him know you." But the Doctor looked unconvinced.

"As long as Geonas Salis is Director, it will be safe for me to stay," Rodrigo resumed. "Director Zyb has informed him of all she can, including about me, but not yet about you, Doctor. You are the best-kept secret of the Federation, because I control all the information about you, what others who haven't met you may learn about you and your friends. I have taken care of erasing the references to you from UNIT records, as well as from the instances where you helped humans and the Federation before now. No one else realizes your importance to the history of the Federation. But once you take me home, others will notice you. You're not exactly inconspicuous. Then you won't be free to act without undue interference any more."

"What can you tell me about this threat?" The Doctor finally asked.

* * *

The sound of the disappearing blue box was fading, as the Director stared at the corner where it'd been sitting and considered the events to come.

"He wasn't happy that we haven't given him the ID he asked for, Rodrigo," Zyb said.

"The Doctor prefers to play fast and loose, as humans say, to improvise," the computerized voice replied, monotone as always. "He seems to enjoy risk. That he asked for the ID is a sign that he already knows the situation is serious, but he wouldn't consider doing all he can to make things less risky. So we must do it for him. The ID will be there, in the time and place he'll ask for, but I'll make sure to provide a few additional resources he wouldn't think of requesting. Maybe a ship, too."

Zyb shook his head. "You've learned too much from humans. Your voice may sound just like any computer's, but I know you're up to some mischief." It didn't answer, so she picked up the pile of reports she had to read before the weekly briefing. "Do you think he's right? That it may not be related to the Temporal Cold War, as we've been assuming?"

"The Doctor has access to sources of information unavailable to us, and he avoided sharing what he knew. But he doesn't seem to know enough about the Temporal Cold War yet. He only had a brief involvement with it. So we must continue to assume there are other factions involved, pushing against each other, operating on a long-term basis, trying to manipulate the Federation and our neighbors to their own ends. If any of them is on our side, they haven't contacted us directly yet. We know it'll come to a head soon. We've had temporal agents visit us this last year, and they also wanted to know what's happening. So it's likely from their future as well. You were right to tell them just what's on our official records. They don't know about me, and though they asked about the Doctor, I don't think they, or their successors, can be trusted with that information. We have been warned against them."

"At least the Doctor agreed to let us tell Salis about him." She sighed. "There's little more I can do in the time I still have."

"There is something." Rodrigo's voice was monotone as always, but somehow he managed to communicate suspense.

"What now, Rodrigo? We've delayed the briefing for more than an hour already. The Assistant Directors must be antsy, and they'll wonder what we're up to."

"You can use our standard excuse. An uptime visitor, it's happened often enough. It's even mostly true." It paused, as if considering how to continue. "Trebirs don't survive retirement for long. The Doctor knew that."

"Rodrigo, please. We don't like others knowing about it. It's all right, I'm prepared. I've led a fulfilling life."

"You may leave Starfleet but that doesn't mean you need to retire," it insisted.

"And do what? This is what I know best. I don't think Starfleet Intelligence would look kindly to me continuing to operate within their territory."

"They don't need to know. I can cover for you."

"Stop, Rodrigo. That's unnecessary, and too risky. You're not to do anything that jeopardizes our work."

"But that is it. I'll work with Director Salis, but eventually even SI will likely be compromised. It's happened before. Once I'm gone there'll be no one else the Doctor can trust to help him. That's why you must continue. You can be here for many decades yet. I can leave enough backdoors and backchannels that you can monitor what's happening, even divert some resources. And you're one of the best recruiters SI ever had. You can organize an independent intelligence agency. You know there are others in the Federation."

"Rodrigo, Section 31 is borderline legal only. The others aren't as secret, or as capable, as they like to think they are. Some within Starfleet will notice if I survive, and they'll investigate me. They wouldn't be able to ignore me, as they do the others."

"There comes your other greatest ability. You're an excellent organizer. We can build a front for your operations. You don't need to start intelligence operations while Salis and I are here. I can keep you informed, while you demonstrate just a bit more flexibility than they're used to in Trebirs. Most already admire you, they'll buy it."

"You've thought it through, haven't you? Do I have any chance of convincing you otherwise?"

"No. You must continue. You will be needed. And I have some ideas about what your front can be-"

"Rodrigo!"

"Charity work. There's a lot to be done, as the Federation is swamped by the demands of underdeveloped new members. I have amassed a lot of resources during this last century. Very few people know about their connection to SI. I can quietly transfer control of some to you, and no one else will know otherwise. The records may be made to show you've had an inheritance. Or donations. You can use the resources for good, and people will admire you for that. When the time comes, you'll be positioned to act."

She sighed. "Rodrigo. If I didn't know better, I'd think you've grown fond of me. All right, we'll discuss your plans later. Right now I have a briefing to attend."

**Author's Note:**

> I'm finally writing again! So the next interlude, with the current SI Director, will follow soon.  
> Note: If anyone noticed, yes SI's structure is different from how it's presented in DS9 eps etc. And there's a reason for this. Though I've corrected a mistake, the Director is assisted by Assistant Directors (not Vice-Directors), sorry.


End file.
